Programme and Admissions

Undergraduate

The Music Technology Area offers two undergraduate Minor programs, as described below. Note that a student must enrol in an undergraduate Major program and complete a first year of studies before applying to either of these Minor programs.

Musical Science and Technology (MST) Minor in Music Technology

The Musical Science and Technology Minor program focuses on interdisciplinary topics in science and technology applied to music. The goal of the program is to help prepare students for commercial jobs in the audio technology sector and/or for subsequent graduate research study. The MST Minor is designed to serve students who already have a good background in the sciences and prior experience with math and computer science courses.

Enrollment in the MST Minor in Music Technology program is limited to students with existing scientific and/or programming backgrounds. Selection is based on previous experience in math, computer programming, music, related sciences, expressed interest in the program, and Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Musical Applications of Technology (MAT) Minor in Music Technology

The goal of the Musical Applications of Technology (MAT) is to provide instruction in practical and creative applications of technology for music purposes. This program will help prepare students for production-oriented opportunities in the creative arts. While this program can also help prepare students for the MA program in Sound Recording, interested students should visit the Sound Recording admissions website to fully understand the requirements for that program.

The MAT program is open to students from any discipline and has no prerequisites other than familiarity with computers. Students will be selected on the basis of their previous background or experience in music technology and/or sound recording, their computer programming skills, their expressed interest in the program, and their Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Graduate

The McGill University Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers two graduate-level degrees in Music Technology, the Master's of Arts in Music Technology and the Ph.D. in Music Technology. Both programs are research-based and culminate in a written thesis. Thesis research is conducted under the supervision of one or more Music Technology faculty members. Research topics are chosen by the student but are typically oriented toward a particular faculty member's area of expertise.

Admission requirements

Applicants for the Master's degree in Music Technology must hold a bachelor's degree and demonstrate evidence of expertise in music technology. Apart from the general application requirements (see Graduate Admissions to the Schulich School of Music), applicants are requested to submit samples of their previous work in music technology.

If an applicant's previous background in Music Technology is limited or her/his previous CGPA is less than the McGill minimum of 3.0, she/he can still be considered for admission as an undergraduate “special” student. This would allow the applicant to take advanced undergraduate courses in preparation for the MA program. Note, however, that the applicant would have to reapply to the MA program.

Funding Opportunities

Ph.D. in Music Technology

Ph.D. applicants are generally expected to have a research project in mind before applying to our program. As well, Ph.D. applicants should contact a potential supervisor among the five full-time music technology professors to discuss their research interests, possible funding and availability of lab space.

Programme Requirements

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the PhD degree must demonstrate strong skills in music technology, including previous research experience and the ability to write research reports.

Apart from the general application requirements (see Graduate Admissions to the Schulich School of Music), applicants are requested to submit samples of their previous work in music technology, including copies of research papers, reports, and their master's thesis.

General Information

Computer-based course work at the undergraduate level in Music Technology is based almost entirely on the Macintosh platform. Undergraduate students wishing to purchase a computer before arriving at McGill are highly recommended to choose any current model of Apple Macintosh.

At the graduate level, the Linux platform is widely used, although work on the Macintosh platform is also current.